Effective Summer Learning Programs Are Closing Opportunity Gaps
By Myrna Castrejón, President & CEO, California Charter Schools Association
Summer should be fun, no? With temperatures soaring and the initial thrill of waking without alarms and a strictly watched schedule, families across the state are easing into the weeks of summer with a wide range of plans designed to enjoy the change of pace and each other. Summer break can benefit students by providing essential rest and rejuvenation, reducing academic burnout, and offering opportunities for experiential learning through travel, hobbies, and academically enriching family activities. However, for many students, summer break can also have limiting effects, especially for families who lack the resources to pay for summer activities like math or music camps, summer tutoring, or expensive travel.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, on average, students lose approximately two months of math and reading skills during the summer months. This is often referred to as the ‘summer slide,’ which impacts students of all backgrounds. Without regular academic engagement in a wide range of settings, students often forget skills and knowledge gained during the school year.
Research shows that summer education programs are essential in closing learning gaps for Latino and Black students, as well as low-income and homeless students, in California public schools, who enroll in high-quality support programs and activities at lesser rates. These gaps are often exacerbated by systemic inequities and the learning loss experienced during the pandemic, affecting students’ academic and social development.
This “summer slide” can widen learning gaps among peers, making it harder and harder to catch up and keep up. To prevent students from experiencing this “summer slide,” many schools offer high-quality summer programs that provide targeted academic support that helps students catch up or get ahead. These programs offer support in core subjects like math and reading and can be tailored to address the specific needs of Latino, Black, low-income, and homeless students. Summer education programs can help ensure students are better prepared for the upcoming school year by focusing on foundational skills.
The effectiveness of summer programs hinges on their design and implementation. Successful programs often feature small class sizes, individualized instruction, and engaging, hands-on activities that make learning enjoyable. Integrating art, music, and sports activities can also provide a well-rounded experience that keeps students motivated and engaged.
They’re also responsive to family scheduling needs. For many families, older children become caretakers for younger siblings while their parents are at work. Summer programs that support students’ ability to attend the program while working with parents’ schedules help increase attendance and engagement.
One example of a school doing it right is the summer bridge learning program at PUENTE Charter Elementary School in Los Angeles’s Boyle Heights neighborhood. Their free program, open to all students in the area, focuses on academics and offers enrichment classes and outdoor activities that prevent summer learning loss and close the opportunity gap. As part of their summer session, they offer high school students programs that allow them to explore career interests or participate in community service projects. Students completing the high school programs receive a stipend for their participation and commitment.
Summer education programs are a vital tool in the effort to close opportunity gaps for Latino, Black, low-income, and homeless students and help to level the playing field. By providing targeted academic support, culturally relevant curricula, family engagement, and addressing barriers to access, these programs can significantly mitigate the effects of the summer slide, help bridge the opportunity gaps, and keep students safe, engaged, and enjoying summer. Efforts at public schools across the state make summer learning fun, impactful, and accessible to all. They are a welcome support for families and students alike — parents are making an investment in their students’ academic futures by taking advantage of summer public school education opportunities and enrolling their children in these programs.
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For more information about charter public schools in your area, including those with summer learning programs, visit https://www.ccsa.org/find-a-school.
